---
title: "Create and review artifacts"
url: "https://docs.alisx.com/how-to/ideate/generate-and-review-outputs/"
---
# Create and review artifacts

Turn a project's context into a document, which the console calls an artifact: a product requirements document, a business case, a request for proposal and more. Ideate also keeps the project's Synthesis up to date on its own; this guide covers both.

## Prerequisites

- Editor or Owner access on the project to create an artifact; Viewer access to read.
- At least one processed contribution.

## Create a new artifact

1. Open the project and click **Artifacts**.
2. Click **New artifact**.
3. Choose how to start:
    - **Create from scratch**: Alis creates it from the project's context and your description.
    - **Or start from a skill**: pick a skill that already knows the format. **Find a skill to start from** searches them; **Suggested**, **Shared with you**, **Yours**, **Platform** and **Public** narrow where they come from.
4. Describe it under **What should Alis create?** (for a skill, **What should it be about?**): what it is, who will read it and what it should make happen, plus anything Alis can't find in the project, like a cost, a date or the decision you need. Use **Upload files** to attach a template or reference if you have one.
5. Click **Create artifact**.

A new chat with Alis opens inside the project. Alis writes the artifact from the project's relevant context, interviews and files, and saves it to the project. It is then listed on **Artifacts**, where each entry shows its update state.

## Review an artifact

1. Open an artifact from the **Artifacts** list.
2. Read it, or use **Download**, **Open in new tab** or **Share** to take it elsewhere. **Open chat** opens the chat with Alis it came from.

Outputs made before artifacts open the same way, with **Copy formatted text** and **More copy options**. On those, highlight any passage to attach a comment to it; pending comments are listed in the sidebar until you submit them, and are stored on the project as feedback.

## Keep artifacts current

When contributions or interviews arrive after an artifact was written, the artifact says how many are new since it was written, and its entry on **Artifacts** shows **Out of date**. Other states are **Queued**, **Updating**, **Update failed** and **Updates paused**.

- On an out-of-date artifact, **Update** writes a new version from the current project. If the artifact needs instructions or Alis connected first, **Set up updates** opens its details to add them.
- An earlier version can be brought back with **Restore this version**.
- The project keeps **Synthesis** current without being asked: its sections (Overview, Pain points, Current process, Technology, Jargon, Stakeholders, Gap analysis) and the **Project goal**. On **Synthesis**, **Regenerate all sections** rewrites every section from the current contributions, and **Copy all insights** copies the whole document.

## Turn on the interactive overview

On **Synthesis**, **Enable interactive overview** asks **Enable the interactive overview?** and turns on a generated, interactive view of the project that surfaces what matters most in one screen. The project needs a goal first; set one on **Home**. Once on, it can't be turned off, and **Switch to interactive overview** and **Switch to standard overview** move between the two.

## Delete an artifact

Open the artifact and choose **More artifact actions**, then **Delete artifact**. An earlier output also has **Delete artifact** under **More actions** on its entry. A deleted artifact leaves the project and its share links stop working.

## Related

- [How artifacts work](https://docs.alisx.com/explanation/artifacts.md)
- [Ask questions about a project](https://docs.alisx.com/how-to/ideate/ask-questions-about-a-project.md)
- [Hand context to a builder](https://docs.alisx.com/how-to/ideate/hand-context-to-build.md)